The Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) has called upon the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and the likes of Sadhvi Prachi, Yogi Adityanath Sakshi Maharaj to immediately stop politicising yoga, of which they have little or no understanding, according to Jaibu Nisha Reyaz Babu, State convenor, Tamil Nadu chapter of the BMMA.
She said here on Saturday that these organisations and individuals should stop positioning themselves as spokespersons for Hindus or Muslims. They had no right to speak on behalf of any community as they had no acceptance or validity in the larger society. In fact, the regressive and rigid positions taken by both these groups on various social issues smacked of their patriarchal and conservative thinking, she added.
“What is their contribution to issues such as poverty alleviation, girls’ education, women equality, peace and communal harmony?,” she asked. They had been opposing social changes. Creating a divide between communities and imposing a narrow, regressive and anti-women understanding of Hinduim and Islam was their sole contribution to society, she charged.
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The BMMA believed that yoga was a historical system that found favour with people in the country and also all over the world. In today’s world, individuals had a free choice to practise or not practise yoga or any other belief system. The BMMA also believed that the real danger was in making any system compulsory and against the will of people. As long as any system was voluntary, it should not be opposed. Indian Constitution had enough safeguards against imposition of beliefs on those unwilling to accept them, she added.
“Organisations must stop positioning themselves as spokespersons for Hindus or Muslims”